Hose and Hook and Ladder Truck Building, Thomaston (1882)

The Hose and Hook and Ladder Truck Building in Thomaston, also known as the Thomaston Firehouse, was built on Main Street in 1882-1883. Using brick produced by the Seth Thomas family brickyard nearby, it was designed by architect Robert Wakeman Hill, who also made the plans for the Thomaston Town Hall and Opera House built next door in 1884. The firehouse was designed to accommodate two separate volunteer companies, Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 and Hose Company No. 2, and therefore had two separate entrances, two stairways and two social rooms. The Firehouse continued in use until 1979, when a new firehouse was built in town. Still owned by the town, the building’s interior was remodeled and it served as a teen center for a time.

The Yankee Pedlar Inn (1891)

After staying at the Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington while he was filming The House of the Devil (2009), horror film director Ti West heard some of the ghost stories associated with the historic hotel. He was inspired to make an independent movie filmed at and revolving around the inn. Called The Innkeepers, it opened in theaters last week.

The Yankee Pedlar Inn opened in 1891 on the corner Main Street and Maiden Lane in Torrington. Originally known as the Conley Inn, it was built by an Irish immigrant named Frank Conley and his wife Alice. Designed by architect Robert Wakeman Hill, the four-story building was constructed of pallet brick, trimmed with Vermont Marble. Known for its comfort and elegance, the hotel became a popular and successful establishment. The Conleys managed the hotel until they died in 1910 and their niece, Mary Tryon, sold it two years later. It then passed through various owners and was expanded in 1918-1920. In 1940, the Yankee Pedlar restaurant and bar was added and entire hotel became known as the Yankee Pedlar Inn in 1956. (more…)

Thomaston Opera House (1884)

The Thomaston Opera House was built in 1884 by the town of Thomaston as a multi-purpose building to serve as both town hall and theater. The stylistically eclectic structure was designed by architect Robert Hill. Granite for the building came from the Plymouth Granite Quarry in town and the bricks were made at the Seth Thomas Brick Factory. In the 1930s, the Opera House became a movie theater, but was little used in later years until eventually the building was closed for fire code violations in 1963. The Thomaston Opera House Commission worked to raise money to save the condemned landmark building from demolition. It was restored and rededicated in 1968. In recent years, the nonprofit group running the Opera House fell into debt and operations ceased in 2010. As of 2012, the Opera House will reopen under the management of the Landmark Community Theater Company.

Bronson B. Tuttle House (1881)

In 1858, John Howard Whittemore formed a company with Bronson B. Tuttle to produce malleable iron hardware, a company that was eventually known as Naugatuck Malleable Iron. Tuttle’s brick house, unlike that of his partner Whittemore, survives today in Naugatuck Center, at the north end of Church Street. Built in 1879 to 1881, the brick and brownstone residence, designed by Robert Wakeman Hill of Warterbuy, is Queen Anne in style, elaborated with elements of other styles. The gable ends and tower dormers are decorated with a quarter sunburst design. There is quatre-foil-pierced terra-cotta cresting along the roof line. The original wraparound porch was later removed. The house remained in the Tuttle family until 1935, when it was given to the Borough of Naugatuck, the house has served as a school and is now the offices of the Naugatuck Board of Education.